Category: Movie Reviews

Malik’s Movie Reviews Past & Present

Written by malikaziz

‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’

The first thing that struck me as I watched this film is how this man’s life, this man’s real life, would be completely unbelievable if presented as a fictional character.  This adaptation of his autobiography is epic when presenting the African continent, and claustrophobic when showing his Mandela’s decades in prison.  It’s as solid as a […]

Written by malikaziz

A Few Thoughts…

Let’s see here… Alright. In no particular order… Rey…I still haven’t seen it officially stated, but we all believe she’s descended from that Natalie Portman – Carrie Fisher bloodline right? Almost a disturbing lack of Luke so far…fair to think they’re going literal with the ‘Obi-Wan’ parallels (loner on his own, who may only be […]

Written by malikaziz

‘Beasts of No Nation’

Fukunaga is the auteur and Idris is the name you recognize on the poster, but ‘Beasts of No Nation’ belongs to Abraham Attah. ‘The Wire’ and ‘City of God’ both excel in showing you how children with no hope can become stone cold killers. ‘Beasts’ asks an even more somber question: ‘What if it’s complete […]

Written by malikaziz

Early Review of ‘Trojan War’

The press screening last night was a surreal experience for yours truly.  I’m so used to supporting my friends and their projects, it’s really different when you’re one of the centers of attention. We seem to have pleased our core demographic.  Next Tuesday we’ll see how the world overall sees it. Until then, here’s an […]

Written by malikaziz

‘Mississippi Damned’

So I caught all the warnings, telling me to ‘prepare myself’ before I watched ‘Mississippi Damned.’  Whether it’s my age or my own secrets, I was less shocked than some by the ‘darkness’ of this movie.  But I’m incredibly glad it exists; without going off on a tangent, many of the issues brought up in […]

Written by malikaziz

‘Nightingale’

In theory at least, any professional actor, if you give them 90 minutes worth of material, will commit to it and give you a quality performance.  But to essentially do a filmed version of a one act play, and keep the audience engaged for the entire time, the truth is even those who would want […]

Written by malikaziz

‘Bessie’

With (well deserved) nominations in all the major Emmy categories, ‘Bessie’ tells the story of one of the early pioneers of black entertainment in America.  When you look at her whole career, it’s hard to describe Queen Latifah as ‘underrated’, but this project was a nice reminder of how talented she is.  Taking on the […]